French animal activists want more bears for the Pyrenees

French animal activist group Ferus said on Wednesday that more bears should be released into the Pyrenees.

Wildlife experts say there are only about 40 brown bears living in the mountain range, which straddles the Franco-Spanish frontier. 

Environmental activists claim the bears help maintain a fragile ecosystem threatened by human activity and climate change. Farmers maintain the bears are decimating flocks of sheep.

Read more: French authorities release bear despite fierce farmer protests 

Long road ahead 

In October, French authorities airlifted two pregnant bears from Slovenia into the Pyrenees to help boost their meager population, as tensions flared between farmers and elected officials.

The two bears — named Claverita and Sorita, meaning “heiress” and “little sister” in the local Bearnaise language — are “still in excellent shape,” according to France’s National Office for Hunting and Wildlife (ONCFS). This month it released a video of Sorita:

“The good news of 2018 is without doubt the release of two bears in the Bearn region in October,” the Ferus association said. “But there’s still a long road ahead of us.”

Opposition from farmers

In September, protesting farmers poured blood and dumped sheep carcasses in front of the office of one mayor who backed the plan to introduce the two bears.

Some farmers have vowed to shoot them on sight.

Last year, farmers in the Pyrenees received compensation for 798 farm animals and 25 beehives destroyed by bears, or where bear involvement could not be ruled out, according to official figures.

“Complete security for the bears is far from assured because of an anti-bear minority which remains violent,” Ferus said.

Bears from Slovenia were first imported into France in 1996, when hunters had all but wiped out the native population. 

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  Dentists operate on wild bear in German national park

  Visit to the dentist

  Experts were called in to operate on a 250-kilogram (550-pound) brown bear known as Igor in a wildlife park in the eastern German state of Brandenburg.

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  Dentists operate on wild bear in German national park

  Out cold

  Specialists anesthetized the bear and raised it onto a makeshift operating table with the help of volunteers.

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  Dentists operate on wild bear in German national park

  Open wide

  With Igor’s mouth hanging open and tongue drooping out, the dental surgeons went to work on repairing the 21-year-old’s infected gums. They used similar tools to those used for human dentistry, only larger.

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  Dentists operate on wild bear in German national park

  Long, aching process

  The operation lasted into the afternoon. Another bear was scheduled to undergo a similar operation on Friday, although it had to be postponed.

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  Dentists operate on wild bear in German national park

  Not an uncommon problem

  Park manager Julian Dorsch believes the bear’s dental problems stemmed from chewing on the iron bars of his cage “out of boredom.” Igor spent his early life in captivity.

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  Dentists operate on wild bear in German national park

  Accidental discovery

  Experts were initially called to find out why Igor had been walking strangely. While investigating his hip joints, they discovered his tooth decay. Igor is expected to recover from both problems.

kw/jm (AFP)

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